My mom is looking for a reasonably priced 4 wheel vehicle and is pretty insistent that it be 'american made' for whatever reason, she is on that patriotic kick.
It kills me, knowing how much the parts cost and the maintenance that would be ahead of her that she is ultimately trying to avoid by buying new...
Anyway, she didn't rave about her test drive at the jeep dealer which was a good thing.
I am trying to give her tips on how Toyota's last forever and are forgiving to work on. I was suggesting a 4 Runner and of course a double cab Tacoma; though I think she'd like the 4 Runner better.

I will say that a friend of mines mom just got a brand new (2011 or 2012) Cherokee i think. and the interior on that thing is pretty up to date. Dunno shit about performance or whatever, but from the 5 mins i sat inside it was pretty comfy. More luxury than badass tho

If you were to succeed in talking a woman into buying a certain car, you would be the first to hear about it when said car starts having issues. And she just might hate whatever you talked her into, problems or not. I recommend you step back and watch.

So she want to "buy american" huh? Cool, tell her to throw away her TV, Microwave, DVD/Bluray Player, curling iron, blow dryer and every other damn thing thing she owns cause guess what!!!..... chances are....NONE OF IT WAS MADE HERE IN AMERICA!!!!

true story, my dad had a 4 door wrangler with the mopar 3" lift, 285's it was gorgeous... anyway. some dude ironically enough in a tacoma, slammed into the front driver side wheel well. didn't look that bad, ended up totaling the jeep but from what i understand the tacoma had minor damage and was able to drive away under its own power... all the proof you need right there...

true story, my dad had a 4 door wrangler with the mopar 3" lift, 285's it was gorgeous... anyway. some dude ironically enough in a tacoma, slammed into the front driver side wheel well. didn't look that bad, ended up totaling the jeep but from what i understand the tacoma had minor damage and was able to drive away under its own power... all the proof you need right there...

Well I suppose it really matters WHY she wants the jeep vs any other american made SUV. If she wants a nice interior and a comfy ride there's plenty of other things that will work. Ford's been stepping up their game lately and I'd have a look at them.

But anyone asking about a jeep I assume is wanting it for some sort of performance aspect. It should be noted that when I hear "jeep" I automatically think WRANGLER since that's the only real jeep made these days as far as I'm concerned. I still miss the Rubicons with the straight 6. Those things, STOCK, can tackle just about anything.

Really depends what kind of Jeep. If its a new Grand Cherokee those things are awesome. Theyre gorgeous inside and out. If i didnt want a pickup bed and something i dont mind getting dirty id be driving a new Limited or Overland with the Hemi.

That being said perhaps have her check out a Rav4 too. No sense in pointing her towards a Tacoma if she has zero use for a truck. Also might be worth explaining that just because its an American brand doesnt mean its made here.

Ultimately its her descision and she should get what she wants, not what you want her to get.

If someone is a "Jeep Person", then let them get their Jeep. Trying to talk a Jeep nut out of buying a Jeep is like trying to convince the hardcore Tacoma nuts on this site to buy a Dodge. Some people just have it in their minds that certain brands are better to others (some are actually backed up by non-bias proof, most just by personal experience).

i've had one cherokee and 4 wranglers, including an 05 rubicon LJ with the straight 6. i consider myself a "jeep" person and have had pretty decent success with all of my jeeps. i've also had a 4 runner and now, my tacoma. love(d) them both too.

if your mom wants a jeep, let her get the jeep. the new cherokees are among the nicest vehicles out there in their class and highly rated by numerous sources (since you mentioned 4runner i "assume" she is shopping the cherokee). i don't know how long your mom plans on keeping it, but there isn't going to be any out of pocket during the warranty period except for oil changes and the like and those are cheap enough. if she is worried about after that, buy a no deductible extended warranty for however long. problem solved.

Well I suppose it really matters WHY she wants the jeep vs any other american made SUV. If she wants a nice interior and a comfy ride there's plenty of other things that will work. Ford's been stepping up their game lately and I'd have a look at them.

But anyone asking about a jeep I assume is wanting it for some sort of performance aspect. It should be noted that when I hear "jeep" I automatically think WRANGLER since that's the only real jeep made these days as far as I'm concerned. I still miss the Rubicons with the straight 6. Those things, STOCK, can tackle just about anything.

I consider the 2 door Wrangler the only real Jeep made today, but hardcore Jeeps were made from 1945-2006, my old CJ5 has the big AMC 258 inline six under the hood, one of the best running motors I have ever driven, torque is next to nothing too, it crawls up just about anything I point it at!